Page 51 of Wishing for Christmas
Ava pointed to a young lady who couldn’t be any older than twenty-five. “That’s Abigail. She cracks me up. She’s a ton of fun and finds the humor in most things this Air Force life throws at us. She’s still new to it, though. We’ll see if she’s still laughing a few deployments and several cross-country moves later.”
Clara wiped away a tear from laughter herself. She recognized Abigail as the easily amused newlywed from the party the other night.
She loved how Ava had a way of making each one of these unique ladies sound interesting in the most lovable way. She could tell that Ava trulydidlike these women despite all their different personalities. Talking with Laura and Ava felt natural. It felt like she was having a conversation with Lily.
Laura gave Clara a wink. “The truth is, we havea lotof fun together. I know military life seems sort of sad at times, from movies and books, and it can be. But it’s also a really active community to be a part of. Sure, it can be hard moving every few years and having to start over with friendships. But like anything else in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. If you invest your time into making connections at each duty station, you’ll be rewarded with friendships that will last a lifetime.”
Ava nodded. “It’s true. I love this lifestyle. I love the purpose, the community,andthe opportunities. I’ve lived all over the country, and we’re hoping our next assignment will take us overseas. How many people get to do that?”
Clara was thoughtful. Maybe these women weren’t simple cookie-cutter wives after all. Perhaps these women were a lot more complex than she’d realized. Perhaps they were all normal, flawed, diverse individuals—just like anyone else. Just like her.
“What about your careers? Did you have to leave that all behind when you got married?”
Ava looked her in the eye. “You’d be surprised what many of these military spouses do. We have doctors, pilots, authors, artists . . . you name it. Some spouses start their own businesses, and some are stay-at-home moms like me. I love that I get to do that right now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, of course. Sure, we may have additional challenges when it comes to maintaining a career, but we’re not confined to any one lifestyle.”
Laura nodded in agreement. “She’s right. And the truth is, not only in the military but everywhere—life is about sacrifices. You constantly have to prioritize different things at different phases in life. When you view these choices less as a sacrifice and more as an opportunity—you realize you’re not so restricted after all. In fact, you may find that you have more freedom than you realized.”
Clara thought about the hotel and her future there. She wasn’t sure anymore if hotel management was really her dream. Maybe it was a profession she sort of fell into, the next logical step in her career. She wondered what she would do if she could choose anything for her life. Maybe there was more out there for her to explore.
Perhaps Clara had more freedom in her career than she realized. Perhaps she always had; it was just up to her to decide how to use it. What if marrying into the military wasn’t such a sacrifice? What if it was instead, like life in general, full of endless opportunities?
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ava added. “This lifeishard. And therearesacrifices involved. Being a military spouse takes a certain strength. It takes resilience, patience, flexibility, courage. There area lotof challenges, and not everyone is up for signing on to that. Not everyone enjoys it. It just doesn’t work for some people for many different reasons.”
Clara nodded, her eyes unblinking.
“But in my experience, it has been extremely rewarding,” she added.
“Same here,” Laura agreed.
Clara let out a long breath that sounded like a whistle. She’d learned more about this lifestyle from this one conversation than she had known about it her entire life.
She watched the other spouses who were boxing, wrapping, and working together. Seeing all the smiling faces, she felt the return of that all-too-familiar feeling of overwhelming guilt. These families all made sacrifices for their country—why couldn’t she? Why didshethink she was entitled to skip right over it when so many others had to go through it?
She was inspired by Ava and Laura, by all the spouses in the squadron. Perhaps being a military spouse wasn’t what she’d imagined it to be at all.
Perhaps she was beginning to understand what this lifestyle looked like from another perspective, the real perspective.
For the first time, Clara suddenly felt something she had never thought she ever would—a yearning to be part of this incredible community.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BRENT
The snow fell into heavy heaps as Brent woke up just after sunrise on December 23. Everything was planned to perfection for their Christmas drive out to the country. Sure, Clara had been acting off lately—at times like a totally different person—but this day was going to be exactly what they needed to get their relationship to where it should be. He could feel it.
If only the weather would cooperate. He paced back and forth and threw a quick glance out the window. From the looks of things, his entire plan might implode. He forced himself to stand still, glued to the window. He rubbed an eyebrow, willing the heavily falling snow to stop.
His gaze flitted around the wintry scene, and his worry quickly gave way to awe. His shoulders rolled back, and his face relaxed. As Brent stared out at his property, he was struck by the beauty of the view in front of him. The bare trees were completely frosted in white. A bulky blanket of snow covered the ground; the massive snowflakes that fell from the sky, adding a fluffy thickness to it at a surprisingly quick rate.
The morning sun was covered by a gray overcast that gave a silvery hue to everything underneath it. He felt as if he had woken up in Narnia. The silence was eerie, and the stillness wasstunning, except for the rapidly falling snow. For a moment, Brent felt as if he were the only living creature on Earth. It seemed like the everyday world had suddenly stopped so nature could put on a spectacular show.
He would have loved to marvel at the scene outside his window for hours. Not today, though. Today was crucial, and it needed to go perfectly. Brent grabbed his notebook. He had every detail planned out. He would pick up Clara, and they would drive to the other side of the river—over a covered bridge—to the rural Vermont countryside. They would meander through the scenic back roads that would take them through picturesque villages filled with old-fashioned charm. They would bundle up together in a horse-drawn sleigh for a cozy ride, surrounded by the sounds of jingle bells and the scents of maple syrup. He realized it was a bit early for sugaring season, but still, the thought of boiled sap coming from the tiny sugar shacks only added to the Norman Rockwell idea he had for their day.
To top it off, he’d made reservations at a historic inn for a candlelight dinner. The entire experience would be a blissful day of holiday romance that Clara wouldn’t be able to resist despiteherreservations.
